Statement of the 26th International Steering Committee of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015

Podgorica, June 20, 2014The 26th International Steering Committee of the Decade of Roma Inclusion (the ISC) discussed the future of the Decade. Governments and Roma civil society representatives again noted the need for streamlining and harmonizing the processes of the Decade and the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. To that end, the ISC urges all Decade partners to ensure:1) A unified, public reporting process by governments on progress in Roma integration and inclusion, that focuses on concrete indicators; and2) Active participation of Decade participating governments in EU sponsored meetings related to Roma integration.

The ISC also requests that the European Commission and Decade participating governments from EU Member States takes up the question of enlargement country participation in the meetings of National Roma Contact Points at the next such meeting and their involvement in the work undertaken at EU level in regards to setting up indicators for measuring progress in Roma integration.